The J.League Championship is a two-legged championship series which determined the season champion for the first 12 J.League seasons (1993–2004) excluding the 1996 season. In the early years, the J.League seasons were divided into two halves , the first and second stages, and the champions of each stage participated in the series. The competition did not take place in 1996, since the single season format was used in that year. Japanese beer company Suntory sponsored the championship, thus the name Suntory Championship was used in the media and among the general public.
37-402: As mentioned, the winners of this competition became the champions of the respective season, while the finalist became the runners-up. As for the rest of the table, points from both stages were summed up to rank the clubs from 3rd place down. In 2000, this format created an unusual situation where the 3rd place club, Kashiwa Reysol , had more points than both the season champion and runners-up in
74-613: A bye to the final. The remaining teams playoff for the other spot in the final. Kashiwa Reysol Kashiwa Reysol ( 柏レイソル , Kashiwa Reisoru ) is a Japanese professional football club based in Kashiwa , Chiba Prefecture , part of the Greater Tokyo Area . The club plays in the J1 League , which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium , also known as "Hitachidai". Reysol
111-750: A capacity of 36,894. Sanfrecce moved to a new stadium in 2024, which has been named Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima. Construction started in 2021 and opened in 2024. Sanfrecce's first competitive match at the new stadium was against Urawa Red Diamonds on 23 February 2024, which attracted an attendance of 27,545 The main colour of Sanfrecce Hiroshima is purple . Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. The main U-18 team of Sanfrecce Hiroshima currently plays in
148-550: A co-operation with J.League club Sanfrecce for the coming two-and-a-half years. The partnership will centre on Sport and Management. The co-operation sees the Germany side continue its internationalisation strategy, which is an important part of the Matchplan. In the sporting sector, the co-operation includes coaching courses, training camp and intensive discussions surrounding the youth academy and scouting at both clubs have set themselves
185-477: A double. Matsumoto, Ogi, and Yasuyuki Kuwahara went on to win the 1968 Olympic bronze medal for the national team . In 2002, Sanfrecce became the first former stage winner (first stage, 1994) to be relegated to the lower division, J2 . But it only spent a year there, finishing second the very next season to regain promotion back to J1 . The club finished 16th in the 2007 season and were relegated to J.League Division 2 after they were beaten by Kyoto Sanga in
222-573: A founding member of the newly formed professional league. Instead, the club joined the Japan Football League Division 1 in 1992 , the second tier of the Japanese football hierarchy at the time, below the J.League. The club changed its name to Kashiwa Reysol in 1993. Reysol added Careca of the Brazil national football team to their squad in the autumn of this year with the aim of winning
259-495: A second-tier continental competition. Sanfreece is then drawn in Group E alongside Australian club Sydney FC , Philippines club Kaya–Iloilo and Hong Kong club Eastern . On 19 September, Sanfreece make their debut in the tournament by playing Kaya–Iloilo at home. On 15 August 2021, Sanfrecce Hiroshima sign partnership with German Bundesliga side, 1.FC Köln where both club are building up their international relations and have entered
296-637: A semifinalist after defeating Auckland City and Monterrey . During the period from 2010 through 2014, Reysol won six different titles in five consecutive seasons; the J2 League in 2010, the J1 League in 2011, the Emperor's Cup and the Super Cup in 2012, the J.League Cup in 2013 and the Suruga Bank Championship in 2014. Historically, Kashiwa Reysol's fiercest rivals have been JEF United Chiba and
333-598: A thrilling finish to the season which saw first-place Yokohama F. Marinos losing their final league game, handing Sanfrecce the title. With their second consecutive title win, Sanfrecce became the second club to successfully defend their crown since Kashima Antlers in 2009. 2015 proved to be a great year for Sanfrecce, finishing 1st in the 2nd half of the season, then finishing 1st overall, just 2 points above Urawa Red Diamonds , to qualify and represent Japan in that year's FIFA Club World Cup . They would finish 3rd, after winning, 2–1, against Chinese side Guanzhou Evergrande in
370-468: Is We Are Reysol, which is sung by anime singer Hironobu Kageyama . The song released in 1994, the same year Reysol got promoted to J1. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. The main U-18 team of Kashiwa Reysol currently plays in
407-791: Is a portmanteau of the Spanish words Rey and Sol , meaning "Sun King". The name alludes to their parent company Hitachi , whose name means "rising sun" in Japanese. The club was formed in 1940 and was a founding member ("Original Eight" ) of the Japan Soccer League (JSL) in 1965. Since the league's inception, they have spent the majority of their existence in the top tier of Japanese football. They have been Japanese League champions twice in 1972 and 2011 , and have won three League Cups in 1976 , 1999 and 2013 , and three Emperor's Cups in 1972 , 1975 and 2012 . The club started in 1939 and
SECTION 10
#1733094426870444-604: Is based on the story of the feudal lord Mōri Motonari who told his three sons that while a single arrow might be easily snapped, three arrows held together would not be broken and urged them to work for the good of the clan and its retainers. The club's home town is Hiroshima and the side plays at Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima . Previously, the side played at EDION Stadium Hiroshima and Hiroshima Prefectural Stadium . It holds training sessions at Yoshida Soccer Park in Akitakata, Hiroshima and Hiroshima 1st Ball Park until 2023. It has
481-402: Is the joint fourth in most J1 League titles with three, the joint first in most top-flight titles (which includes the defunct Japan Soccer League ), with eight, and the club with the most participations in Emperor's Cup finals, with 15. Sanfrecce have won 3 J1 League title, 3 Emperor's Cup , 1 J.League Cup and 4 Japanese Super Cup . Internationally, the club has made two appearances in
518-520: Is the only top division club in the country to wear yellow-black. Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sanfrecce Hiroshima ( Japanese : サンフレッチェ広島 , romanized : Sanfuretche Hiroshima ) is a Japanese professional football club based in Hiroshima . The club competes in the J1 League , top flight of the Japanese football league system . Sanfrecce is one of the most successful clubs in Japan. The club
555-471: The Asian Club Cup , forerunner to today's AFC Champions League ; at the time, the tournament was done in a single locale (in that year it was Bangkok , Thailand ), and they ended up in third place, the first participation of a Japanese club in the continental tournament. This also cost them the league title to Mitsubishi/Urawa, and although they won another title in 1970, since then the club has been out of
592-496: The Bulgaria national football team . In 1999 Hong Myung-bo of the Korea national football team was added to the squad. The team won the J.League Cup in 1999 , their first title as Kashiwa Reysol. However, their next manager, Englishman Steve Perryman , unsettled the team and the club struggled over the next several seasons. After finishing at the 16th place out of 18 clubs in 2005 ,
629-508: The FIFA Club World Cup with their most recent appearance being in the 2015 edition . The club was a former company team of Toyo Kogyo Soccer Club ( 東洋工業サッカー部 ) in 1938 and played in the semi-professional Japan Soccer League . The club was an original founder ( "Original Eight" ) of the now-disbanded Japan Soccer League (JSL) in 1965. They dominated the JSL's early years, winning
666-538: The JFL champion and winning promotion to the J1 League . The club struggled in the 1993 season. However, with the help of Careca and Brazilian manager Zé Sérgio , they secured the 2nd place in the JFL in 1994 , earning promotion to the top league. Reysol debuted in the J1 League in 1995 . In 1998 they welcomed Akira Nishino , the former manager of Japan's Olympic team as their new manager, along with player Hristo Stoichkov of
703-480: The Japanese national team . The club relocated from Kodaira to Kashiwa in 1986, but it took a while to adapt to the new town, as they were relegated to the JSL Division 2 at end of the 1986. They made it back to the top flight in 1989–90 , but dropped back in 1990–91 and returned again in 1991–92 . As the J.League was formed while they were not strong enough, the club abandoned any attempt to once again be
740-553: The Prince Takamado U-18 Premier League , the top-flight league for U-18 clubs in the country. Only the registered players for the competition will be displayed. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. As Toyo Kogyo SC and Mazda SC (amateur era) as well as Sanfrecce Hiroshima (professional era) Domestic International Total (as of 2022): 51 seasons in
777-469: The Prince Takamado U-18 Premier League . Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Club staff 2024 Kashiwa Reysol's main colour is yellow , like sunshine that is based on the club's name "Sun King". The uniform is yellow-black (called Aurinegro in Spanish) reminiscent of Peñarol or Borussia Dortmund . Reysol
SECTION 20
#1733094426870814-689: The Urawa Reds , both close neighbors. The three were co-founders of the Japan Soccer League (JSL) in 1965, and spent most seasons in the top tier through the JSL era. Because of their former parent companies' headquarters all being based in Marunouchi , Tokyo , the three clubs were known as the Marunouchi Gosanke (丸の内御三家, "Marunouchi Big Three" ) and fixtures among them were known as the Marunouchi derbies. Reysol and JEF United Chiba first met in 1941 in
851-746: The promotion/relegation play-off . In 2008 they nevertheless won the J2 title at the first attempt, having 84 points (a difference of 25 points with the runner-up clubs) with six matches left. By virtue of earning fourth place in the 2009 season and Gamba Osaka retaining the Emperor's Cup , Sanfrecce qualified for the Asian Champions League , where they were knocked out in the group phase. On 24 November 2012, Sanfrecce defeated Cerezo Osaka 4–1 to seal their first ever J.League Division 1 title. On 7 December 2013, Sanfrecce defeated Kashima Antlers 2–0, securing their second J.League Division 1 title following
888-469: The 1996 J.League regular season as well as the finalists of the J.League Cup took part. Nagoya Grampus Eight won and qualified for the 1997 Sanwa Bank Cup . Participating clubs Results The Championship stage consisted of a knockout tournament involving the champions of the First and Second Stages, and any team that finishes in the top 3 of the overall table. The team with the best aggregate record earned
925-462: The 3rd place match. In 2018, after Sanfrecce progressively trailing towards a J1 title, as it led the standings after Round 5, the club fell down to 2nd-place at the end of the season. The club saw Kawasaki Frontale win the league as Sanfrecce lost four of their last five league matches. In 2022, the club was relieved to experience another good season, under the management of newly appointed German coach Michael Skibbe . Underrated by many because of
962-522: The J2 League led by Nelsinho Baptista in and returned to the top flight. The club immediately won the J1 League in 2011 with talented footballers such as Hiroki Sakai , Junya Tanaka , Jorge Wagner and Leandro Domingues , and became the first Japanese club to win the second tier and the top tier back to back. The club qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup as the host nation's league champion and became
999-650: The ancient Kanto regional football league. The two clubs are both now based in Chiba Prefecture , and their rivalry is known as the Chiba derby. They play a pre-season friendly match every year, popularly known as the Chibagin Cup (i.e., Chiba Bank Cup ) since 1995. Reysol also has a rivalry with Kashima Antlers (commonly called Tonegawa clásico), FC Tokyo (commonly called Kanamachi derby) and Omiya Ardija (commonly called Nodasen derby). Kashiwa Reysol's anthem
1036-416: The club lost the promotion/relegation play-offs against Ventforet Kofu , the 3rd placed team in the J2 League that year, and was relegated to the J2 League. A new manager, Nobuhiro Ishizaki , led an almost entirely new squad in 2006 and the club secured automatic promotion to the J1 League in the last game of the season. The club was relegated again at the end of 2009 . However, in 2010 they won
1073-455: The club that won the most points in the season also won the championship. They are the 1993 and 1994 seasons, both won by Verdy Kawasaki . The following table shows the clubs that won the most points through a season. In the 2000 season, although Kashiwa Reysol won the most points through the season, they could not take part in the J.League Championship because they failed to win either stage. In fact, Júbilo Iwata also won more points through
1110-482: The final standing. The series usually took place at the beginning of December, with the exception of the 1993 season, when it was held, due to the 1993 World Cup Qualifiers, in January. The league adopted a single season format starting with the 2005 season. The J.League Championship returned for the 2015 season and 2016 season in a heavily modified format to previous incarnations. There are only two occurrences where
1147-518: The goal that they should be amongst the best clubs in the league at academy level. As for the management side of the partnership, seminars are planned in Hiroshima and Köln, where those in charge of departments from both clubs will come together to work on a strategy going forward. The club name is a portmanteau of the Japanese word for three , San and the Italian word frecce , which means 'arrows'. This
J.League Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue
1184-489: The match, being scored at the 96th and 101st minute of the match, during the added time of the second half. For his efforts to make the team competitive at every competition Sanfrecce partook in, Skibbe won J.League Manager of the Year , the club's 4th 'Manager of the Year' award. On 20 June 2024, AFC confirmed Sanfrecce will participate in the inaugural 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two group stage, marking their first appearance in
1221-469: The previous season, the club fought for the title at every competition it played until the very end. The Violas finished 3rd place at the J1 League, as runners-up to J2 club Ventforet Kofu in the Emperor's Cup final , and as J.League Cup champions. The J.League Cup was won in dramatic fashion against Cerezo Osaka , as the club managed to comeback from a 1–0 loss with two goals scored by mid-season Cypriot signing Pieros Sotiriou . Both goals came very late in
1258-399: The running for the title, with exceptional seasons such as 1994 when they won runner-up. The Toyo Industries that became the first JSL champions also completed the first double by taking the Emperor's Cup . They were also the first of three " Invincibles ", undefeated champion clubs in Japan (the others were Mitsubishi in 1969 and Yamaha in 1987–88 ), although only Toyo completed
1295-549: The season than Yokohama F. Marinos and Kashima Antlers who qualified for the Championship. According to the regulation, the official league rankings of Kashiwa and Iwata of that season are third and fourth respectively. As the 1996 season wasn't divided into stages, the J.League Championship did not take place. Instead, the competition titled the Suntory Cup '96 J.League Champions' Finals was held. The champions and runners-up of
1332-432: The title 4 times in a row – a feat that was later equaled by Yomiuri SC/Verdy Kawasaki . The name change was made at Mazda SC ( マツダSC ) in 1981. When JSL disbanded and became the J.League in 1992, it dropped the company name and became "Sanfrecce Hiroshima". Alongside JEF United Ichihara Chiba and Urawa Red Diamonds they co-founded both leagues ( "Original Ten" ). During the 1969 season they participated in
1369-467: Was officially formed as the company team , Hitachi, Ltd. Soccer Club in 1940 in Kodaira , Tokyo . The club formed the Japan Soccer League (JSL) in 1965, along with today's Urawa Reds , JEF United Chiba , Cerezo Osaka , Sanfrecce Hiroshima and three other clubs ( "Original Eight" ). They had some successes during the mid-1970s, winning Emperor's Cups and JSL titles and contributing several players to
#869130